Shonen Tantei Dan VS The Murder of Crows
by Himitsu Notebook
Summary: Following the fall of the Black Organization 10 year ago, Conan finally thought they were gone. All of a sudden, a mysterious sniper begins to make attempts of the lives of those around him. The murder of crows are all but gone...
1. The Sniper

_Autuors nose (Intentional misspelling, Inside joke XD):Hello again folks! Well, here it is! The long awaited sequel to the Shonen Tantei Dan vs The Baker Street Irregulars. It took me a while to come up with an idea, but here it is! Enjoy!  
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"_Yet again another serial killer is given his just desserts by the Shonen Tantei Dan, Robert Deeming, AKA Jack the Ripper in the 21__st__ century. An account from the other members of the Shonen Tantei Dan tells of how heroically Edogawa Conan fought to protect them when they were attacked by Robert. Thanks to an intervention by British Detective, Saguru Hakuba, the worst suffered was a light stab wound. Conan, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi were hospitalized briefly with stab wounds and injuries from broken glass but now they have healed and the Shonen Tantei Dan are back solving case--"_

The man slid his slim pale fingers onto the remote, the other clasping the phone to his ear. He tapped the volume button slowly.

"So, this is the guy?"

"Not just him, The others to. All of them."

"I was quite surprised when I heard from you, y'know. I thought we were dead and gone. I was almost considering settling down and starting a family."

"Funny, You don't seem like a family man to me." The thin man chuckled to himself.

"I suppose. Anyway, were exactly have you been for the last ten years?"

"Well, I assumed that four of my best men had been killed so I put things on hold. Luckily they all turned up in hospital quite some time later...Seems one of them got amnesia, One had broken every bone in his body. But apparently two of them made a getaway in the night, quite a violent one at that. I'm surprised they haven't killed our good friend Kudo already. Anyway, Of course they came back to me in the end."

"So, Just to confirm, You want him eliminated? And all his lackeys?"

"Do it. Try not to make to much of a mess. If necessary I will send the other two to help you, But I am trusting you can carry this out alone. My trust isn't misplaced is it?"

"Not at all."

"All of them dead."

"Right." With a short beep, the phone went dead. Clasping his hands and resting his thin pointed chin on the backs of them, the man smiled, staring at the gun on the coffee table. He reached forwards and slowly began to load it. He then fired, the bullet striking the TV screen, displaying a picture of their target, with a large clink and a hiss. The room was pitch black.

"You're more than a nuisance, Kudo..."

Conan let out a loud yawn and rolled over, blinking a couple of times to clear his eyes. Sleeping Kogoro, living up to his name as always, was still sleeping. Conan shuffled onto all fours, staring sleepily down at his pillow before trudging into the bathroom. When he emerged, fully dressed (save for his jacket and his tie) and freshened up, Kogoro was still asleep. Conan leant over the sleeping man and pulled back the curtains provoking a loud cry of anguish and a flailing of fists in Conan's direction, although as he was half asleep, it wasn't hard for Conan to dodge.

"Good morning Conan-kun!" Ran smiled at him from across the breakfast table.

"Mowwn Wn-Nwechn..." Conan had already shoved several spoonfuls of rice into his mouth before he had even sat down.

"You seem in a rush today." Ran sat opposite him. Conan nodded, trying to speed up the process of swallowing his food so he could talk.

"Yeah." He said with a gulp. "I need to pick up some stuff from the office." Conan consulted his watch. "Oh, shit!"

"Language Conan!" Ran scolded him as he dashed out of the door, quickly affixing his tie. Ran sighed and smiled. She saw so much of Shinichi in him it was scary.

"Oh, Hey Conan!" Upon entering the Shonen Tantei Dan detective agency, he was greeted by Mitsuhiko, sat at the desk, engrossed in something on the computer. "Didn't expect to see you here this early!"

"I could say the same to you. I left my maths homework here, seen it?" Mitsuhiko reached into the one of the several filing trays on the desk.

"Eh? I could've sworn it was..."

"Mitsuhiko...It's under the keyboard isn't it?" Mitsuhiko let out a small "meep."

"I don't know what you're talking about." he laughed nervously, very inconspicuously pulling something from beneath the keyboard, as Conan had deduced.

"Mitsuhiko, Give it..." Conan extended a hand. Mitsuhiko hung his head in shame and handed the book to Conan. He smiled and slid it into his bag.

"Do your own homework next time, Teachers get suspicious when our answers are exactly the same..."

"Sorry...I didn't get much sleep the last night and didn't have a chance to study. I thought if I came in here early then..."

"S'okay." Conan patted the boys shoulder before making his way over to the kettle. He consulted the clock above the window. He had enough time for a quick drink before school. As the water was heating, Conan stared vacantly out of the window past "Shonen Tantei Dan" written in bold blue letters. He loved this office. Yet it was funny that 10 years ago he never would of imagine becoming accustomed to the life of Conan Edogawa. After a while, being Conan wasn't a matter of acting anymore. He had created a whole new person. But in the process, he was afraid Shinichi Kudo had become lost somewhere. No, Shinichi was there. Just very, very far away. He wasn't coming back, No matter how much Conan longed for it. Even the finalized version of the antidote for Apotoxin only changed him back for 24 hours. The next attempt nearly cost him his life, hospitalizing him for a month. It was then he had resigned to the life of Conan Edogawa. He was surprisingly enjoying it.

Suddenly, Conan noticed something, a small black speck on the roof of an apartment block adjacent to the building. He squinted. Then he realised. It was a person. Quickly, Conan ran to the desk, shoving Mitsuhiko sideways slightly and reaching into the bottom of one of the larger filing cabinets, Out from which he pulled a large camera. Mitsuhiko raised an eyebrow at Conan.

"What are you doing?" Conan didn't reply, quickly focusing the camera. Not only was it a person, but it was a person holding a sniper. And they had just fired.

"MITSUHIKO, GET DOWN!" Conan cried, leaping forwards and knocking the boy off his chair. A bullet hit the monitor, smashing it with a spark and a cloud of black smoke. The camera crashed to the floor, the lens shattering. Conan raised his head, still shielding a very frightened looking Mitsuhiko, both breathing heavily.

"C-conan!" Mitsuhiko cried. "Wha--?!" Slowly Conan got to his feet. Bad move. A bullet scathed his cheek narrowly. Quickly, Conan threw himself back to the floor, narrowly missing being hit right through the forehead. Mitsuhiko shivered, staring in shock.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know." Conan grunted. "But someone wants us dead."

"Eh? Why?" Conan yet again didn't answer. Instead he reached back into the filing cabinet, reaching around inside the bottom. He drew out a small black pistol. Mitsuhiko went completely rigid.

"Where did you get that!?" He screamed.

"It's Haibara's. I'm sure she won't mind if I borrow it though." Mitsuhiko's eyes were the size of teacups by this point.

"It belongs to Ai? Why would she keep a gun on her?"

"Just in case." Conan raised his head slightly. The figure was still there. He turned to Mitsuhiko. "Okay, On my signal, crawl for the door and wait in the corridor. Make sure you are a good distance from the window. I'll follow you."

"Bu-but--!"

"Just go!" Mitsuhiko bit his lip as if he was trying not to cry. Conan peered up again. Quickly he reached up and fired the gun. Not that it would do much good. "GO NOW!" Conan gestured frantically to the door. Mitsuhiko scuttled across the floor like a spider and quickly hurled himself from the office as Conan got to his feet, firing the gun several times before making a dash for the door himself, leaving the gun on the desk. Mitsuhiko was curled up in the fetal position outside the door.

"C'mon, Lets go!" Conan tugged the boy to his feet and made a dash for the stairs.

"Good morning everyone!" Conan announced loudly, strolling confidently into the classroom with a very traumatized looking Mitsuhiko at his heels. The teacher glared at them.

"Why are you two so late?"

"Traffic." Conan breathed and quickly took his seat next to Ai. He smiled.

"Morning." She stared at him strangely.

"You're bleeding." Conan suddenly remembered the graze on his cheek, quickly removing the blood with his sleeve. "What happened?" Ai enquired.

"Someone made an attempt on both mine and Mitsuhiko's lives this morning." Ai's stare changed to one of shock.

"What happened?"

"Sniper. Luckily I noticed him before he took one of us out."

"You don't think we could possibly be experiencing blow back from the Robert Deeming case, another nutty idol wanting to avenge his death?"

"I highly doubt it, But I won't rule anything out at this point."

"Be careful."

"I will."

"Edogawa! Haibara!" A projectile (chalk) hit Conan in the forehead. "Just because you two have the highest grades in this school, doesn't mean you can start slacking off! Pay attention!"

"Yes, sensei." The two droned in unison.


	2. Returned from the dead

The bell sounded, the students of Teitan High poured out of the classrooms. As Conan began to clear away his books he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Quickly dashing out of the classroom, he answered.

"Edogawa Conan."

"Ah, Conan-kun, About the sniper--"

"Wait, Hold on a sec..." Conan made his was quickly along the corridors in a half run and out to the clubroom building around the back of the school. Propping himself up against the tree outside the Shonen Tantei Dan's school club room (Which served as their secondary office, for callers who wanted to contact them during school hours) and resumed the call.

"Still there, Inspector Megure?"

"Yep. So anyway, Like I was saying about the sniper on top of Shunsaku Apartments across the way from your office, I sent Takagi-kun to investigate as soon as I received your call. There were definite traces of gunpowder but upon sweeping the area we didn't find any prints. Anyway, I'd watch your back if I were you Conan-kun, This could be the work of a previous grudge holder."

"Right." With that Conan hung up and made his way towards the clubroom. The sight that greeted him upon opening the door was a very agitated looking Ayumi. She had obviously been waiting for him. Mitsuhiko and Genta were conversing over lunch while Ai was reading a magazine, an untouched onigiri on the table in front of her.

"Conan, Is it true that someone tried to kill you?" Ayumi stood abruptly and thundered towards him.

"Yes, But don't worry." Conan slowly made his way towards the table and sat down. "So far, Inspector Megure wasn't able to give me any promising evidence, But we don't know whether this man will attack again. If he does, I'll catch him myself." Ayumi stared at Conan blankly for a second before silently sitting back down, staring at her hands in her lap.

"How can you act like nothing happened?" Ayumi frowned, biting her bottom lip. "This is serious."

"Don't worry." Conan winked, provoking a slight blush from Ayumi. "I've got us through worse than this remeber?"

"Oh, I hardly call having your behind saved by Hakuba-san, while you were half unconcious with a poison blade inches from your chest getting us out of worse..." Ai commented. Conan pulled his classic "Oi oi" face.

"Ah, But remember the time in the cave when Conan got shot?" Genta added.

"Actually, I think it was us that saved him." Mitsuhiko laughed. "There was that time in middle school with that escaped madman who trapped us in the school..." Mitsuhiko stared up at the ceiling. "Conan managed to take him down I remember..." The boy turned and smiled. "And he saved me this morning. Actually, I can't count all the times Conan has got us out of tight situations!"

Ayumi shivered slightly. "But a sniper is just so..." She pulled a strange face. "...Sudden. You never know when he might strike."Ai suddenly placed her magazine down on the table.

"Ah, Hey where are you going?" Mitsuhiko looked up from his lunchbox.

"Toilet." Conan suddenly stood.

"I'll go with you." Immediately that provoked Mitsuhiko.

"I'll go too!" Continuing the chain reaction, Ayumi stood.

"Me too!"

Genta didn't want to feel left out

"Me too!" Ai blinked.

"Does everyone have to come with me?"

"Yes!" Mitsuhiko, Genta and Ayumi all chorused in unison while Conan remained silent as usual. Ai chuckled to herself.

"You're worried about the sniper aren't you? I'm touched." Almost like the statue that seems to have moved a little closer to you every time you turn round, the Shonen Tantei Dan followed Ai hastily out of the door.

The man moved his sniper back slightly. It wasn't going to be easy deciding which one to go for first. Even if he missed his target he was bound to end up killing one of them, seeing as they were all walking so close together. Slowly, he aimed, clenching one eye shut and staring down the scope with the other. Alright, Glasses goes first. He fired.

Suddenly, Conan's glasses were flung from his face, something lightly skimming the top of his nose. Ayumi let out a squeak.

"The sniper!" Conan cried. "Quick, Run!" He waved his arms frantically. "Spread out! And don't stop moving!" The Shonen Tantei Dan did as they were told, bolting off in several different directions. Conan quickly scoped the perimeter. He saw a man, rifle perched on the ledge of a balcony. Gritting his teeth, Conan ran towards the school wall, separating the grounds and the building the sniper now occupied. He could see the man was quickly beginning to disassemble his sniper. Conan ran around the front of the building, quite clearly a small apartment block. Rather than entering the building, Conan gripped onto the drainpipe and began to climb his way up the buildings facade and up onto the front balcony. Getting onto the side one wasn't going to be a problem. Conan simply stepped up onto the rails and flipped his way round. The man was gone, nothing left but several shells. Conan let out a cry of frustration, kicking one of the shells of the balcony before turning into the house. It was an empty apartment, save for an ashtray filled with cigarette butts and several empty energy drink cans. Hesitating only for a second, Conan quickly vaulted the balcony railings, landing on the ground below with a heavy thud, just in time to see a black car screeching into the distance. Although the car was battered and looked like it had suffered numerous keyings in the past, something strange began to stir in Conan upon seeing it. A completely black car. It wasn't Gin's infamous Porsche but...No, It couldn't be. They were gone. The Black Organization were long gone. He took them down himself all those years ago. Yet why did he feel like the man was part of them? Ai had always had suspicions that they were still alive but...

"He ran away...Coward..." Conan spat, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Conan!" He looked up to see Ayumi poking her head over the school wall. "Are you okay?" He smiled up at her, wiping the trickle of blood off the top of his nose where the bullet had scathed him earlier.

"Hmm...But it's definitely too early to rest easy." Ayumi hoisted herself over the wall, followed by the rest of the Shonen Tantei Dan.

"This is scary! Next time we leave the house, one of us might get killed!"

"Don't worry, I don' think he's a very good sniper. Or he's missing on purpose just to scare us."

" I doubt it." Ai stepped forwards. "Something makes me think that this is little more than a personal matter involving a criminal we may have jailed in the past."

"Hmm." Conan nodded. "Do you think it could be them...?"

"It's definitely a possibility..." The last few words of conversation between Ai and Conan had gone completely over the heads of the other three members.

"Who are they?" Ayumi tilted her head on one side. Both Ai and Conan turned and smiled in unison this time.

"Not important." The said simultaneously although they were fully aware they weren't fooling anyone. Before any of the Shonen Tantei Dan were able to question Conan and Ai further, the bell chimed.

"Well..." Conan made his way towards the wall. "I'll give Inspector Megure another ring, get him to dust for prints. We've got to get to class."

As Conan walked home that day, he couldn't feel secure with the knowledge a mad sniper was on the loose. And after them to boot. His head was already filled with images of an ambulance wheeling away one of the Shonen Tantei Dan's almost corpses that made him shiver. These didn't exclude thoughts of himself in a body bag either. Inspector Megure had given Conan the exact same conclusion as the previous, no fingerprints, only gunpowder. It seemed that the sniper had been wearing gloves while drinking and smoking. Conan had caught sight of the man though. He wasn't old, But he wasn't young either. A somewhat middle aged figure, skinny and pale with the same emotionless stare which Ai Haibara seemed to have a special radar for. Of course, the man had been dressed entirely in black, even his hair had been jet black, hanging down over his eyes messily. With relief, Conan realised he had been so lost in though he hadn't noticed he was already in the Mouri Detective Agency stairwell. Watching his back closely, he made his ascent. Being wrapped in his thoughts as he was, he hadn't noticed the police cars and the smashed window.

It was as if Ran had been awaiting his return right in front of the door as the minute he opened it, a tearful Ran threw herself into his arms. Conan blushed slightly. Needless to say, he still loved Ran but he didn't LOVE her. He had found someone finally to lift him from his misery.

"Conan-kun!" Ran wailed, burying deep into Conan's chest. Conan pushed the door closed behind him carefully and wrapped his arms around Ran.

"Ran-neechan...What's going on?"

"Dad!" Ran bawled. "Dad's been shot!" Conan suddenly became rigid. The room was filled with police officers. He hadn't had enough time to comprehend them what with Ran's ambush. The front window of the Mouri Detective Agency was smashed, a large splatter of blood spraying across the desk. Takagi, Satou and Megure were all stood in the corner discussing the situation. When Ran finally allowed Conan some freedom, he stormed over to them at the speed of light.

"Conan-kun, We've been waiting for you!" Megure announced.

"Hmm, We assume this links into the previous sniping attempt you suffered."

"There was another one actually." Conan breathed. "At school, he made another attempt on my life, although I think that I'm not the only target." He glanced at the desk. "Oji-san...Did he...?"

"No, Luckily." Takagi spoke absent-mindedly, his attention focused on scrawling notes down hastily. He closed the book and turned to Conan. "He was hit in the shoulder and passed out, I assume the sniper thought he had killed him and left as there was only indication of one bullet at the scene. Luckily, Ran-san found him when she did and he's in hospital now, They assume he's going to pull through but--"

"The sniper, Did you catch him?" Conan interjected.

"We couldn't determine the point he was sniping from, I checked the roof of the Shunsaku apartments again but..."

"This is bad..." Conan muttered. "...They might be in danger...All of them..." He stared at the floor. His worst fears had been confirmed. They weren't dead.


	3. Arrest

"For god's sake...I knew I couldn't trust you with this mission..." The voice growled down the phone. "I knew I should've sent the other two to carry this one out..."

"Please..." The skinny man pleaded. "...Allow me to redeem myself. If I don't succeed in killing my next victim, You have every right to replace me with the other two."  
"One chance. But I warn you, It isn't my job to be forgiving." The phone went dead. Sliding into his chair, the man stared through the darkness at the broken television screen, his laptop illuminating the room slightly from it's standpoint on the coffee table, rotating a shell slowly between his thumb and index finger. The chances that one of the other members had already planted a bomb somewhere was likely. His car was definitely in the equation too. Hastily, the man packed his sniper and made his way out of the apartment block. As he walked further and further away from his home, he felt the sudden gust of hot air, the aftermath of the explosion gently brushing his back, the screams of pedestrians. He knew they didn't do second chances. He knew how their minds worked. But that wasn't going to stop him.

"Mits!" Asami called up the stairs. "Could you grab some stuff for me from the convenience store?"

"'Ka-aay..." Mitsuhiko slapped the lid of his laptop shut and made his way downstairs. His sister was reclining on the sofa, a copy of Shonen Sunday draped over her eyes. "Can't you get it yourself? You don't seem to be doing anything?"

"I need the next issue of this!" Asami waved the manga in Mitsuhiko's face, grinning. "I need to know what happens in the next chapter of Magic Kaito." Mitsuhiko was too polite to turn her down. Wrapping a scarf around his shoulders, he stepped out into the cold and made his way towards central Beika. Mitsuhiko shivered at the cold breeze, breathing onto his cold hands. As he walked, he noticed a man sat on a bench across the street, a cigarette between his lips, a hat pulled down over his eyes. He couldn't help but feel his shivering increase upon spotting the ghostly figure in the night.

Mitsuhiko stopped in his tracks, staring at the figure stood outside of the convenience store, staring intently through the window.

"Ai...!" Mitsuhiko called. She turned, upon noticing him a small smile formed at her lips. She stood out in the night so beautifully in her blood red coat, her face shadowed slightly by the hood.

"Why are you standing outside in this weather?" Mitsuhiko asked as he approached slowly.

"Oh...I was going to go in but..." Ai returned her attention to the window. Mitsuhiko attempted to locate what she was focusing on so intently. He noticed her gaze rested on a teenage girl with long brown hair, a little blonde girl sleeping on her shoulders. Mitsuhiko stared alongside her, a little confused. Ai smiled.

"I had a sister once..."

"Once?" Ai realised she had been caught of guard.

"She lives quite far away from here..." Mitsuhiko nodded but remained silent. There was a long pause.

"I came here to buy some manga for my sister so..." Mitsuhiko made a step towards the store then stopped. "Are you coming?" Ai shook her head.

"Okay..." Mitsuhiko lingered in the doorway, wondering whether to bring up the question that had been on his mind all evening. "Hey..."

"Hmm?"

"Why do you have a gun?" Ai didn't answer for quite some time.

"I'm frightened, I suppose you could say." Mitsuhiko's curiosity was inflamed now, But he knew better than to pry. Ever since he first met her, he knew that there was a lot more to her than met the eye. Something lying deep beneath her outer shell. Being as kind-hearted as he was, he didn't want to pry into her soul to thoughtlessly, rather he decided to wait for her to open up to him herself without him provoking her. Slowly, Mitsuhiko entered the shop. He stood in front of the magazine racks, staring blankly. He picked up the manga his sister had requested and began to flick through, although his mind was still elsewhere. Her glanced up again. Ai was making her way across the road. Then he saw the figure, the dark one he had seen earlier, walking swiftly with his hands in his pockets on the other side. Suddenly, he felt a chill runing down his spine. Quickly replacing the magazine, Mitsuhiko ran outside again.

"Ai!" He called across the road. She stopped in her tracks and stared at him past the traffic. "Come here a sec!" The black figure was approaching her quickly. Mitsuhiko's eye suddenly caught something, only becoming apparent to him when the headlights of a passing car reflected in it. A knife. The man was holding a knife, just sticking slightly out of the end of his sleeve. Half running, Ai made her way across the tarmac and back to Mitsuhiko. Much to his horror, the man in black stopped and glanced either way across the road as if he meant to cross.

"Is something wrong?" Ai stared up at him. Mitsuhiko glanced sideways nervously. He needed something. Something to...Oh god, the man was coming closer. Mitsuhiko acted blindly. Quickly, he coiled an arm around Ai's waist and pushed her back against the large glass window of the store, diving into a deep kiss. Ai remained rigid in shock momentarily, her arms frozen in mid air but then allowed her arms wrap around Mitsuhiko's shoulders, pressing her body against his. Mitsuhiko glanced to the side briefly. The man was walking away. Perhaps he had been wrong. Not only had the kiss acted as a method of shielding Ai, but it had brought quite a lot of attention to them from the customers in the store, therefore if someone wanted to make an attack on them, it wouldn't go unnoticed. If they had just been standing there it wouldn't have been hard for the man to swoop in swiftly, jam the knife into either of their stomachs and just walk on by. Their lips parted. Mitsuhiko smiled at her warmly.

"Why did you do that...?" Ai asked, looking confused, her face almost as red as the coat she donned. Mitsuhiko didn't answer, rather he just continued to smile. He was worried about parting with her. There was a chance that she could be attacked on the way home.

"Can I walk you home?" Mitsuhiko enquired softly. Ai pondered for a second before linking her arm with Mitsuhiko's.

"Sure."

While Asami was rather annoyed that Mitsuhiko had completely forgotten to buy her manga, he didn't care. Even though Mitsuhiko would've considered Ai his girlfriend or lover of whatever you wanted to call it (He was still unsure if the feeling was mutual), they tended to keep their distance in public, acting as they did normally towards eachother. As far as either of them knew, The rest of the Shonen Tantei Dan were relatively unaware that anything was happening between them (Mitsuhiko was starting to believe Conan knew a thing or two, due to several very subtle hints he had dropped since they had returned from London). Just walking home together, arm in arm, was the only vaguely normal couple type activity they had ever really participated in, despite the fact Mitsuhiko was really acting out of a sense of duty, making sure that Ai got home safely. The figure in black didn't appear again that night thankfully.

Normally Ran didn't have any problem getting Conan out of the house in the morning but this particular morning she had ended up tipping the futon over to get him out of bed. Begrudgingly Conan made his way to school. He was relieved to see all the Shonen Tantei Dan were intact upon his arrival.

Today was gym, Track and field. Conan wasn't much a fan of gym unless it involved soccer of course but needless to say he excelled in it. The girls and boys remained on seperate sides of the track. Conan had managed to obtain a football (With his belt) and was goofing off from the normal exercises the Gorilla insisted they do to warm up. Conan wondered how he was still living and teaching at the exact same school after so many years.

"Edogawa!" The man yelled. "Get on track! 2 laps with everyone else!" Conan sighed, allowing the ball to fall to the foor and joining Genta and Mitsuhiko on the track.

"Hey Conan" Mitsuhiko's voice was higher than normal from breathlessness.

"Hmm?"

"I saw someone last night, A suspicious figure while I was out on the streets."

"And that would be important because...?"

"Well, He made a move on Ai...I think!"

"You think?"

"Well, he was walking towards her with a knife!"

"Then what?"

"I dragged her into a convenience store." Mitsuhiko told a white lie. "But anyway, I have a hunch that that guy could've been the sniper, out to kill us."

"Well, we can't solve this case based on hunches, Mitsuhiko." Promptly, Mitsuhiko's foot became entangle with Genta's sending him flying to the ground and Genta and Conan screeching to a halt.

"Oww..." Mitsuhiko crawled to his feet again, rubbing a light graze on his knee. Genta grinned as the Gorilla began throwing commands at Mitsuhiko.

"You've been tripping over all day!" Genta taunted. "Probably because you keep staring at Haibara's ass every time she bends over." Genta gestured to Ayumi and Ai still carrying out their warm up exercises. "Can't blame you though, She does have one hella fine behind."  
Mitsuhiko went bright red, his head suddenly filled with images of the little moment that him and Ai had shared in London. "STOP THAT!"

"Oooh, Jealous are we? Don't worry about it, I'm more interested in Ayumi. It's my personal opinion but she has a much nicer butt--" Genta suddenly found he was tasting the track as someone had deliberately hooked their leg around his.

"Sorry about that Genta." Conan said dryly. Mitsuhiko blinked a few times before continuing to run along the track. Then suddenly Conan heard a loud cry. Turning, he saw Genta staring in shock at a small cloud of dust before his nose where he lay. He stared up at Conan in fear.

"A bullet!" He cried. "Someone almost shot me!"

"Jesus, the sniper. Likes to go for the face this one." Conan quickly approached Genta, scratching the plaster on his nose. Indeed there was a bullet imbedded in the ground right before Genta. Conan turned again, scouting the area like a periscope.

"There!" He cried. Just in time to notice a shadowy figure disappear into the bushes. Abandoning the track, Conan ran leaving Genta in the dust while Mitsuhiko stumbled after him.

"Ayumi, Come on!" Conan burst through the crowd of girls, latching onto Ayumi's wrist and tugging her with him. Following Conan's example, Mitsuhiko put his hands on Haibara's back and began to push her along as the followed Conan to the criminal's alleged location. Despite the many yells from the Gorilla, Conan and the Shonen Tantei Dan continued to make quick work of the chain link fence over into the bushes. Upon bursting through the greenery, Conan caught sight of the a shadowy figure, dressed in a long trench coat, a gun case in tow as he dashing further into the forest. Not hesitating a second, The Shonen Tantei Dan pursued the man. After the incident in London, Conan had had a word with Professer Agasa about some upgraded power sneakers which he had received a week ago. Conan quickly reached and spun the dial on his sneakers, powering them to full as he realeased a football from his belt. Even with his normal body back, the gadgets still proved just as useful. With a cry, Conan drew his foot back and swung it forwards with all his might into the ball, rocketing it forwards into the mans head, flinging him to the ground. Ayumi quickly sat on the man to keep him down while the rest approached. The man was still conscious, barely. Conan stood above him, the pale thin man staring up at him resentfully with emotionless eyes past his tangled greasy black hair.

"Conan Edogawa, Detective. I'm placing you under citizens arrest."


	4. Interrogation

Conan walked the corridors of the Beika Police Station, the Shonen Tantei Dan following closely behind him. Conan couldn't believe his luck. He actually had one of the members of the Black Organization. Finally he had been able to catch one of them and get him down to the police station with him committing suicide or attempting to make an escape only to have his car blow up or crash. He felt a tremendous sense of achievement welling up inside him. Although his chances of returning to being Shinichi Kudo were lost forever, he still was never going to let the Black Organization die. He wondered how, if at all, he was supposed to explain the situation to the Shonen Tantei Dan.

"Conan-kun!" Tagaki jogged towards the teenage detectives, trying but failing miserably to hide his excitement under a mask of seriousness. "We've interrogated him but he's not talking. All he seems to do is keep talking about alcohol. We thought you might be able to get a little more information out of him than we did" Conan grinned.

"He's not talking about alcohol." Burning with excitement, Conan strode briskly past Takagi towards the interrogation room. Megure was stood by the door.

"Go right on in Conan, Me and several other officers will be watching you through the one way glass." Conan nodded and opened the door cautiously. The man was sat there on one side of a small metal table, his face shadowed by the harsh light glaring down on him from above. While the rest of the Shonen Tantei Dan filed into the room behind Conan with more or less no qualms, Ai hesitated in the doorway. Such a small and empty room only could remind her of how suffocating the organization was to her in her younger years. More a cage than an organization. Everything she had done had been completely upon their whims. They had watched over her like a crow perched on her shoulder. Slowly, Ai stepped in and closed the door. Conan strolled casually towards the man and took a seat opposite him. He stared up at Conan, a smile suggesting mental instability. He let out a low breathy chuckle.

"Hello there Kudo." Conan froze. Ayumi stared at Conan for a second.

"Why is this man calling you Kudo, Conan?" She asked quietly. The man filled in for Conan.

"Have you been keep your good friends in the dark for all these years? Not much of a friend are you?" The man chuckled again and leant back in his hair so it was supported against the back wall of the chamber, crossing his legs and slamming his feet down on the table. He peered over Conan's shoulder. "Ah, Sherry! You're looking well. You've changed since I last saw you, All grown up." The stares turned from Conan to Ai. "You probably don't remember me do you? You were only about 14 at the time I'd say." Ai suddenly stormed forwards, slamming her palms on the table and leaning forwards menacingly.

"Who are you?!" She growled. Conan found himself edging backwards in his chair slightly.

"Like you, I have a code name. I'm Schnapps." Ai took a step back and crossed her arms.

"Schnapps? I've never heard your name before."

"Well, I handled more of the behind the scenes. Never really did hang around the science labs much." Conan leant a little further across the table.

" So...Schnapps...Start talking, You're a member of the Black Organization, who do all your orders come from? Who is the head?" Schnapps shook his head, laughing as if remembering something funny from the previous day.

"You ask like you expect me just to fork over this information...You're more naïve than I thought...Cigarettes...Maybe I'll tell you a bit more if you get me some cigarettes."

"Why do you do the things you do?" Conan ignored the mans request.

"Put it this way. The Organization is a car window, You are a bug. I'm the windscreen wiper. Bugs who splatter against this window get wiped up. It'd be too dangerous to keep you alive."

"Yeah, Well I gathered that much." Conan sighed. Something gave him a feeling they were just going to be running around in circles for the next half an hour.

"Ai, What's all this about?" Ayumi turned to Ai, clutching her sleeve with an urgent expression. "Code names? Sherry? The Organization? What is this?"

"Are you like the yakuza or the mafia? Or the Men in Black? Do you kill aliens?" Genta asked. Schnapps let out a loud chortle.

"Men in Black, Kill aliens..." He snorted. "That's priceless..."

"Conan, Is there something you aren't telling us?" Mitsuhiko was beginning to look as if he was on the brink of a shocking revelation. "No, Let me rephrase that. There is definitely something you aren't telling us." Conan shook his head.

"Look, Guys, this isn't--"

"Conan!" Ayumi cried. Her eyes had become slightly teary. "What are you? This man called you Kudo and Ai Sherry, Talking about an Organization and keeping us in the dark...!" Schnapps laughed ever harder at this.

"It appears your friends don't know anything about you do they, Kudo. Say little miss, Come closer." He gestured to Ayumi. Hesitantly she stepped forwards.

"What would you say if I told you that Conan Edogawa isn't Conan Edogawa? That he's been lying to you all these years?" Ayumi remained silent for a second.

"That's not...Conan wouldn't..." Her voice cracked slightly.

"It is and he would, my dear. For Conan Edogawa is not Conan Edogawa. He is really--"

"ENOUGH!" Conan stood with enough force to send his chair flying backwards. He reached across and took a firm hold of Schnapps collar and jerked him forwards harshly. "START TALKING ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION!" Conan hated the kind of criminals which just seemed to laugh no matter what you did. Schnapps was that type exactly.

"Now now Kudo, Let's not do anything to rash." The police stared over the situation intently from the other side of the glass

"Do you want me to go in there?" Takagi enquired. Megure shook his head.

"No, Conan won't hurt him." The atmosphere in the interrogation room was heavy, weighing down on the shoulders of everyone. Conan and Ai's secret was suspended from a very thin wire.

"Fine, fine, If you get me some cigarettes." Schnapps taunted.

"I'm not getting you anything until you start talking." Conan released Schnapps collar and allowed him to fall back into his chair with a loud thunk.

"Fine then..." Schnapps leant back again. "...Well, You know the basics. What we do. But what you lack is the motive. Why? Why indeed." The man paused as if he was thinking. He then let out a small laugh. "Wouldn't you like to know, Kudo?" Conan narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Well...?"

"Well, As your large friend..." He gestured to Genta. "...so kindly pointed out earlier, we are sort of like the mafia, yes. Quite a lot of the assassinations, robberies and murders and all aren't particularly for any deep profound reason. But it would be a pain if we were apprehended by the police, So we tend to deal with anyone who is aware of us quickly. We don't leave loose ends. Except for you. A very troubling loose end you turned out to be. Although that is not the only reason we cover our tracks so well...Cigarettes?" Conan ran a hand through his hair with a groan of irritation.

"Someone get some from the vending machine, Please..." Ayumi jumped to attention and scurried out into the corridor. Schnapps smiled.

"Thankyou." Within a minute Ayumi returned and placed a packet of cigarettes on the table before Schapps. He struggled slightly with the handcuffs but managed to pluck one from the packet. "You girl." He nodded towards Ayumi. "Could you get my lighter? It's in my left pocket." Conan raised an eyebrow but then gave Ayumi the ok. Upon offering to light the cigarette for Schnapps, he shook his head.

"No, Give it to me." Ayumi cautiously handed it to the man and stood back. Then suddenly, Schnapps spat out the cigarette and snapped open his lighter, drinking all of the fluid. Before Conan had realized Schnapps plan, it was too late. He keeled forward, coughing out a large amount of blood which sprayed across the table.

"HEY!" Conan shook the man and he lay limply on the table, blood still flowing from his gaping mouth. "QUICK, CALL AN AMBULANCE!" As Ai dragged a rigid Ayumi from the room to phone help, Megure, Takagi and Shiratori came storming in towards the body.

"What the hell is going on!?" Megure glared down at the body, his eyes wide with confusion. Conan shook his head.

"He's dead."

"I don't get it!" Mitsuhiko stepped forwards. "He drank lighter fluid, that wouldn't kill you so quickly. Or make you cough blood."

"Hydrocyanic acid." Shiratori clasped the empty lighter with clothed hands. "I assume it was filled with hydrocyanic acid. This particular lighter is larger than usual so it can hold more."

"Shit..." Conan slammed a fist on the table. "He was never going to tell us anything, He planned this from the beginning. I was so stupid...To let him use his own lighter. I should've seen it. That's the reason he wanted Ayumi to hand it to him, She wouldn't be thinking about it after all the stuff Schnapps said..."

"Now, Conan-kun. Don't blame yourself." Megure patted the teenagers back. Conan stared down, gritted teeth. After all this, they were right back to square one.

The weather upon leaving the police station reflected the whole of the Shonen Tantei Dan's current mood. The skies had gone from the bright endless aqua to an inky grey and was now crying down hard on the young detectives. Conan wished for no more than to walk home alone, but as he raised his hood and made in the direction of the Mouri Detective Agency, he felt a shivering hand clutch the back of his coat.

"Conan..." He turned. It was Ayumi. He tried his best to smile at her. "...Who are you really...?" Conan sighed and reached forwards, wrapping his arms around Ayumi. He couldn't tell if she was just shivering from the cold or she was crying. "Please...tell me...Who are you?"

"I'm Conan. Don't pay any attention to what that man said..." He smoothed her dripping hair.

"But...It doesn't take a genius to know that you aren't...You were never normal. Even I saw that. And I admit I wasn't the brightest bulb on the tree as a child. I mean...What kind of seven year old knows how to drive a plane? What kind of seven year old can have a gun pressed against his head without batting an eye? What kind of seven year old always knew where to look for the criminals, Could crack every riddle within minutes..." She stared up at Conan.

"I'll take you home." He offered. Although he only really desired to be at home himself, he couldn't bring himself to leave her.

The walk was cold and silent. The two walked the lonely streets of Beika through the shroud of stinging grey mist, drenched and huddling close for warmth. Ayumi never let go of Conan's hand. Conan wondered. What would she do if she found out? Would she ever want to see him again? Maybe she'd tell him that she'd fallen in love with Conan Edogawa, Not Kudo Shinichi. Not to mention if he did tell her, It would be out in seconds. Ayumi was never one to keep secrets for too long. Ran would know, The rest of the Shonen Tantei Dan would know, Kogoro would know...Maybe in the end the Black Organization would know. Finally when Ayumi realised they were nearing her house, she spoke.

"You're...Kudo Shinichi...Aren't you?"

Conan stopped in his tracks. He opened his mouth, a long inhale. Then he spoke.


	5. Evidence

"You're...Kudo Shinichi...Aren't you?"

Conan stopped in his tracks. He opened his mouth, a long inhale. Then he spoke.

"No...That's stupid Ayumi..."

"But--" He turned to her, a small smile on his lips.

"Think about it, It's not possible. Schnapps was probably mental. I do look a lot like Shinichi...niichan." He added quickly.

"Hey..." Ayumi approached slowly and positioned herself right before him, face to face. "Take off your glasses." Conan knew that trick. Ran had used it on him many a time to try and prove he was Shinichi.

"No..." Conan lowered his head a little. Ayumi scowled slightly.

"I'll do it myself then." Conan attempted to back away, But Ayumi took hold of his shoulder with one hand and removed the glasses with the other. She stared long and hard into his eyes.

"I've seen Shinichi before...Once..." She moved slightly closer. "...A few times briefly...And that photo on Ran-neesan's desk..." Even closer. "Why is it that you have the exact same eyes?" Conan averted his eyes which apparently were the same as Shinichi's nervously. He was getting desperate. Could he say that him and Shinichi were brothers? Twins separated at birth? No, that wasn't right, there was the age gap to consider? Yukiko's child from another father? No, If Ayumi spread the word that Yukiko had supposedly been having an affair, that would send his parent's marriage to a grinding halt. He didn't want to do that for the sake of his secret. But still, the rope was slowly unravelling, Ayumi stood before him, her face against his, his glasses in her hands. Strangely he found himself closing his eyes. As if his secret would remain hidden if she couldn't see his eyes. Ayumi smiled and drew closer. Conan wasn't expecting to feel her cold lips against his, her wet strands of her hair tangled with his as she pulled herself closer, wrapping her arms lovingly around Conan's neck. Slowly, he reacted, sliding his arms around her. As his hands ran up her back, he could almost feel her skin through the wet fabric. It was pouring. They were both going to catch colds at this rate. Ayumi pulled away slowly. She smiled warmly.

"No...Conan is Conan...I was being silly..." Ayumi replaced his glasses.

"Did you really need to kiss me to make sure?" Conan laughed. Ayumi chuckled, blushing.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Ayumi breezed past Conan at the speed of light and down her garden path, slamming the door behind her as she entered her house. Conan stared at the empty space where she had been stood previously and sighed before slowly trudging along the flooded streets towards the Mouri Detective Agency. Meanwhile Ayumi turned, slumping against the door in the entryway and smiled absent-mindedly up at the ceiling.

"Ah, Officer Shiratori!" Mitsuhiko stood from the bench by then vending machine, discarding his empty can of cola quickly. He had been waiting around the police station for hours for the officers to leave and was now officially wired. The temptation of sitting next to the vending machine had been to much for him and he was now more a walking mass of caffeine than human being after so many cans of cola. Shiratori stopped in his tracks and smiled at the boy.

"Can I help you?"

"If it's not to much trouble, I'd like to review the evidence."

"Evidence?"

"Schnapps sniper." Shiratori raised an eyebrow. Megure who was walking past let out a loud cry of exhaustion.

"Ahh, Let the boy look at it!" Megure sighed. "We confiscated all the ammo, and I've known the Shonen Tantei Dan long enough to know that none of them would ever go on a killing spree." Shiratori still didn't look entirely sure but he complied anyway.

"And also anything else, Phones, keys..." Mitsuhiko added with a smile.

"Fair enough."

"Also, Do you have any particular bullets that were found at any of the scenes."

"A couple, Why?" Shiratori stared strangely.

"I'm putting together my own little investigation." Mitsuhiko grinned. He needed to know what was going on. He wasn't particularly fond of secrets.

The Shonen Tantei Dan's office was empty of course, the had all gone home. Mitsuhiko crept in quietly, the sniper still under his arm. He hoped the police wouldn't noticed that he had borrowed it. He was going to return it in the morning. The office was almost like a second home to all of the detectives, each one of them had been caught sleeping in here on at least one occasion, Genta most frequently. Even Conan had been caught kipping on the couch a couple of times. Mitsuhiko placed the sniper and backpack Schnapps had been wearing when they caught him on the coffee table and began to rummage around in the filing cabinets until he found what he was looking for. His notebook laptop and the chemicals that Conan kept for fingerprint testing. Mitsuhiko had always been the one who spent most of his time at the computer, always very interested in forensic science, often testing for prints on teacups and other random objects around the office, just for the fun of it but now he could actually put these skills to use. With Schnapps fingerprints he could easily find files tracing back the "Organization" he was supposedly linked in with. Dipping a brush into the pot, Mitsuhiko applied the chemicals lightly. Within a few minutes, light shadows began to appear. Mitsuhiko smiled. Easier than he'd thought. Schnapps hadn't even been wearing gloves.

Mitsuhiko stared at the results on the screen. The FBI files security system had been easier to break than he expected. He was sure no-one was going to come and kick the door down on him. If Jodie Starling or James Black saw they'd probably let him off.

"So his real name is Arata Shibasaki...Age 39...Born in Tokyo...Unemployed...Of course, Deceased...These guys sure do update fast...Parents: Deceased. Siblings: None..." He scrolled further. It didn't appear that the FBI were aware of his connection with the Black Organization.

"Known associates...None..." Mitsuhiko tapped lightly at the keyboard in thought for a moment. "...Pretty sketchy..." He turned and stared at the bag on the coffee table before scooting forwards on his chair and opening it. Contents; laptop, phone, notebook, lighter. Mitsuhiko took the lighter and rotated it between his index finger and his thumb. He supposed Schnapps must have had one real one and one for any case where he might have been forced to spill information. Schnapps really must have been a smoker. Next he moved onto the laptop. Hopping from the chair to the sofa, he flicked open the lid and pressed the on button. The screen lit up. Immediately, a small white box appeared in the middle of the screen entitled "Password." Mitsuhiko pondered for a second. Then he remembered something Conan had said a while ago, during one of their frequent camping trips. Slowly, he typed the word "Pandora". Much to his surprise, a window opened up informing him that the password was correct. Rather pleased with himself, Mitsuhiko continued to browse the computer. Something odd caught his eye. A folder labeled "Kudo mission." He clicked. He stared. His eyes widened. His mouth opened.

"How...?" Mitsuhiko was staring at himself. Not just himself but all of them. Ayumi, Ai, Conan, Genta. All of them were there in passport photo format. He gulped and read the text beneath each picture.

"Target for assassination..." Mitsuhiko read aloud and then sat silently for a second before noticing his cursor become a small hand upon hovering over Conan's photo. A new window opened. Side by side stood two pictures. One of Conan and one of Conan without classes. Then one of Conan as a child and another of Conan as a child, yet again without glasses. Then something hit Mitsuhiko. He scrolled down the page, his eyes growing ever wider as he read the shocking information that dragged its way across the screen. He stopped and slumped back into the sofa, staring blankly off into the distance.

"So...When Schnapps called him Kudo, he really meant it..." Leaping forwards, Mitsuhiko continued his investigation. He clicked back quickly and then scrolled down to Ai's photo. Indeed, it was also linked.

"Shiho Miyano?" Another two photo's stood side by side, both seemingly of Ai. Mitsuhiko read, then suddenly he slammed the lid of the laptop shut, breathing heavily. "She's....one of them...!?" Even though he wasn't 100% clear on what this organization actually was, it made his heart ache. They were clearly not a good thing. Schnapps seemed to know Ai well, calling her "Sherry." Could it be he had fallen in love with a double agent? Was Conan one of them too...? No, he wasn't Conan. Kudo Shinichi. Apparently force fed an untested drug developed by the Organization to make him small. But how...? It defied logic! It just didn't make sense! These things didn't exist outside of manga, anime and movies. Mitsuhiko shook his head and breathed slowly. Without even bothering to clean up the evidence, he unhooked his coat from the back of the door and left.

"Someone used Schnapps laptop after he was killed, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" The angry voice demanded down the phone.

"Uh...We checked the police station all the evidence was gone..."

"You idiot!" The man had to hold the phone away from his ear slightly for the sake of his ear drums. "One of those detective brats probably have their paws on it"

"Do you want them taken out? I know Korn, Chianti and Schnapps are out of the picture, But I could try my hand with a sniper..."

"No, You can't even aim a handgun, let alone a sniper."

"Do you want us to do things the easy way then." There was a long pause on the other end of the phone, then a sigh.

"Yes, the easy way." The phone went dead. The large man smiled and turned to his partner sitting in the drivers seat.

"Did you hear that Aniki?" The long silver haired man rotated his head slightly, still keeping his cold emotionless eyes on the road.

"Yeah. The easy way..."


	6. The Easy way

There was definitely a certain atmosphere between the Shonen Tantei Dan, conversation levels at an all time low, Save for Genta who was constantly informing the rest of of the Shonen Tantei Dan about the eel he had at that new restaurant last night. Things had a tendency to go over his head. He wasn't picking up on everyone's moods. Conan was concerned for the safety of his identity, Ayumi's head was in a twist as to whether Conan really was Conan, Ai was always quiet, regardless of whether she was happy or sad, and Mitsuhiko was trying to figure out whether two of his fellow detectives really were who they said they were, one of them being the girl he was so passionately in love with. But that was all pretty much double dutch to Genta. It was funny how at a time like this, all he could talk about was unajuu. It took him at least until lunchtime to catch on.

"Oi, What's eating everyone?" Genta stared at his peers around in the table in the Detective clubroom and then longingly at all of their nearly untouched bento boxes. His next move would be to ask if they were planning to eat them or not. If not, he hit the jackpot.

"Nothing."  
"I'm fine."

"It's nothing..."

A shrug from Ai. Genta raised his thick eyebrows.

"Does much lunch smell funny?"

"Well, That's a given." Mitsuhiko laughed somewhat halfheartedly. "Hey, Genta..." Mitsuhiko gesture for him to come a little closer.

"I looked at Schnapps laptop last night..." He whispered.

"WHAT?" Genta cried very unsubtly, resulting in a very harsh "Sssssh!" from Mitsuhiko and some very odd stares from everyone else.

"I kinda borrowed it along with all the other evidence without asking. I looked at it, and there was information about all of us on there...!"

"All of us? Not just Conan?"

"Not just Conan. We were all on there. And...It said some funny things about Ai...It said her name was Shiho Miyano..." Genta pondered for a second.

"Maybe it meant "Shio" like salt ramen?" Mitsuhiko facepalmed.

"Why do I bother...?" He moaned. He then noticed Ayumi's hand gesturing underneath the table towards him. He stared for a second before scooting closer.

"Hey, Mitsuhiko." She whispered. "I heard what you said to Genta, I'm starting to have doubts about Conan too..." Mitsuhiko nodded.

"Hmm, On the laptop, it said..."

"...Kudo Shinichi, right?"

"Right." Ayumi smiled at him, all of a sudden looking very excited.

"Hey, why don't you and me team up to get to the bottom of this, Just us two!" Mitsuhiko blinked. She sounded like she was enquiring about a game of secret agents. He nodded.

"Yeah."

"It's a secret, Just between us right?" Ayumi winked.

"Nn." Mitsuhiko nodded again.

"Do you still have all the evidence?"

"Yeah."

"Then we can find out who Ai and Conan really are!" Ayumi clasped his hand. "Good luck to both of us then!"

"Good luck!"

"What're you two whispering about over there?" Ai peered over her magazine.

"Nothing!" The two said with huge grins.

The day passed a lot slower than they all would've liked. Lunchtime dragged on quietly, following Ayumi and Mitsuhiko's little formation of a partnership. The group always met at the school gates and walked together to the office.

Upon opening the door to the office, Conan noticed something strange. The lights were off. Although normally he made a point of turning the lights off before he left, they hadn't been back to the office since the assassination attempt. Although Conan was unaware of this, Mitsuhiko hadn't touched the lights either. Ayumi stepped past him into the office.

"It's dark in here!" She reached for the lightswitch. Conan suddenly made a grab for her hand, hindering it's movement.

"Don't touch the light!" Conan hissed. He sniffed the air. Dilluted, but it was there. The scent of gasoline. Instructing the rest of the Shonen Tantei Dan to stay at the door, he moved slowly towards the center of the room. There was a slight trace of liquid directly beneath the lightbulb. Conan dashed quickly the desk chair and wheeled it across the room. Although it was an office chair and probably not the safest thing to stand on, Conan managed it, hastily unscrewing the lightbulb.

"Conan, What's going on?" Ayumi approached him cautiously. Jumping down into the sitting position, Conan shook the lightbulb close to his ear. The sound of swishing liquid could be heard clearly.

"Stand back." Conan suddenly raised the lightbulb above his head and brought it down hair onto the side of the coffee table, sending it flying. Ayumi let out a squeak. Liquid splashed out onto the table.

"What did you do that for?" Ayumi stared at Conan in confusion. Conan smiled, holding up the decapitated stump of the lightbulb.

"Gasoline, I've seen this trick a million times." He rotated the stump in his hands. "The heat from the fuse when the lightbulb I turned on causes an explosion. You might wanna check the kettle too, you never know."

"He's right, It's in here too..." Ai peered into the pot. Or what was left of it. She'd done quite a good job disassembling it. "They put it in the the part where the hot wires that heat the water are. If we had turned this on, it would've gone."

"Crap! They're through trying to snipe us!" Conan grunted angrily. "Guys! Search everything! They could have bombs planted for all we know and for gods sake DO NOT turn on anything! One of you call the police!" Conan cried in frustration. The fact that they were now resorting to explosives meant they were getting desperate. It was only a matter of time before one of their loved ones could find themselves dead on the doorstep.

A complete sweep of the office had proved to be pointless. They had only gone to the trouble of filling the kettle and the lightbulb with gasoline, believing that would be enough to kill them.

"Conan-kun..." Takagi approached the slumped detective sat on one of the blue sofa which had just finished being sewn up after bomb inspection. "Inspector Megure is talking about Witness Relocation for all of you...Maybe it would be best. It's clear that we have a crazed killer on our hands." Conan shook his head without a seconds hesitation.

"No...They're here and I'm going to find them..." He growled angrily beneath his breath. Takagi raised an eyebrow, slightly confused.

"Who?"

"Them..." Conan breathed heavily. "The ones who did this to me." Assuming Conan simply meant the ones who attempted to kill him, Takagi pried no further, although he'd be lying if he said the young detectives attitude didn't rouse questions in his mind slightly. Then suddenly, Conan sat bolt upright as if someone had just given him an electirc shock his eyes wide.

"Oh god..." He said tonelessly.

"What?" Takagi turned back to the detective, who at this point seemed to have no pupils and was breathing very audibly and heavily, not a trace of colour in his face.

"At home!" He cried, standing abruptly. "They might have put bombs in our homes!" The Shonen Tantei Dan all went completely rigid in unison. All except for Conan who was tearing up the floor to reach the door.

"C'MON!" He yelled, gesturing for the Shonen Tantei Dan to follow. There was very little hesitation, particularly from Ai who had practically already been out the door before Conan came to this horrific conclusion. The Shonen Tantei Dan parted without a word, tearing Beika to shreds in their frantic rushes to reach home. Red coat glowing in the night, Ai looked something like a smudge of blood flying across Beika. She cursed in her head. Why? So much for the sake of one godforsaken pill. One that...THAT man...Gin...had tested without her permission. She wasn't going to try and pass the blame onto him to make herself feel better. This was her fault. These were innocent people. Kogoro was simply a slightly slow witted detective living with his daughter. What had they done to deserve this? Nothing. And what about the parents? Loving dedicated parents? And siblings? Nothing. And the proffesser that had taken her under his wing out of the goodness of his heart? Nothing. They hadn't done anything. Yet here she was, running as if a gun toting Gin were on her tail towards her house to warn said proffesser that there might be a bomb somewhere. Then something caught her eye. Something in the distance. In a flash, several police cars passed her on the road, following by two fire trucks. Ai only picked up the pace at this, as if attempting to keep up with them. Running towards the ominous red glow on the horizon. It sure wasn't sunlight. It donned a crown of pitch black smoke. It couldn't be. She felt tears gushing down her cheeks already. The roads began to narrow as Ai found her way into the more upmarket residential area of Beika. She could feel heat. She saw flames. Another corner turned. Ai stopped and stared. She screamed with all her might:

"_HAKASE_!"


	7. Firey determination

She had never wished to look upon this sight before but something deep within her told her that maybe one day it would be inevitable. The house was burning, lost in a dramatic canvas of red and orange and black, slight interference of white, red and blue, the fire departments best attempts the douce the flames and the blinking police lights. The black smoke almost seemed to form a hideous face. It cackled and laughed down at her, driving her slowly insane. Running her hands down her colourless face, Ai stared, her breathing heavy and laboured, her hearts thumping irregular. Her whole body rejected this scene. She felt faint. But what little concern for herself that had been in there previously had evaporated. Ai dashed towards the building without a second though. Running into the flames would've been a little easier if two pairs of strong arms didn't throw themselves around her. Upon inspection, they belonged to Takagi and Sato, clamped onto the young girl like iron.

"LET ME GO!" Ai screamed, kicking and struggling with all her might. "HE'S IN THERE!"

"Haibara, Please! There's nothing you can do!" Sato winced, clearly having a hard time restraining the girl.

"LET GO!" Ai cried once more, thrusting herself forwards with tremendous force. Takagi and Sato, even as a duo, hadn't proven strong enough to keep her in place. Stumbling slightly as she cast away her shackles, Ai bolted towards the burning house, raising her hood and hoping it would provide her enough protection. She heard someone cry: "For gods sake, SOMEBODY STOP HER!" some distance behind her, but it was too late. She inhaled the fresh air for one last time and dived into the flames.

"HAKASE!" She called. No reply. Delving further into the flame ridden house, she found her way into the main hall area of the building. Luckily the flames were spread slightly seeing as this was such a large area, leaving Ai something of a path to make her way through. Her legs were already singed, her face blackened but she was either going to rescue Agasa Hakase or die trying.

"HAKASE!" Ai screamed again. She heard something. A muffled cry. "HAKASE, WHERE ARE YOU!" Ai shrieked into the oblivion. The muffled cry came again. Ai turned towards the basement and made her way through the fire. The smoke was getting to her. She let out a cough and then shielded her face with her sleeve. To confirm his whereabouts, Ai called out again: "HAKASE!" The muffled cry came again. She was sure of it now. Quickly, Ai scurried down the stairs towards her lab only to find the door blocked by a huge pileup of burning debris. She could hear his cries on the other side. The Hakase was definitely in there. Ai lost comprehension of the situation breifly. Her oxygen level was becoming low but she wasn't going to let him die in there. Ai reached forwards and placed her hands on the burning wood, screaming out in pain as she threw it out of the way. Her vision was blurring slightly. Ai dived again, several more planks of wood heaved out of the doorway. Her legs were burnt, her hands were burnt, the smoke was slowly filling her lungs, but yet again Ai reached forwards and threw back more burning rubble. The door jerked harshly, a few second pause, then again. He was trying to break the door down. There wasn't much left that needed moving, just a few troublesome planks of wood. Ai heaved at the wood once more. All of a sudden, she lost her balance toppling over backwards. She let out a scream as her back came in to contact with the flaming wood. The door was suddenly flung open, the Hakase came tumbling out only to find Ai lying on the ground in a dead faint, on a pile of burning rubble which she had moved away from the door with her own blackened burnt hands. After hoisting the young girl from the rubble, his first instinct was to remove the flaming red coat to prevent her from being burnt further. As he stumbled up the stairs, he realised that the flame had already eaten it's way through her coat, her school uniform and onto her back where now stood a gaping great burn mark. The Hakase was met halfway by firemen, who scooped Ai from his arms and carried her from the burning building. It's never a pleasant sight to see someone close to you being hauled into an ambulance with an oxygen mask affixed to their face.

Conan sighed and slumped onto his futon. No bombs. No gasoline. No nothing. He had contacted all of the other Shonen Tantei Dan and their houses had been fine. It worried him that he hadn't heard from Ai yet. When he attempted to contact her, all he got was a prerecorded message telling that the number he had dialed was unavailable. He had tried her mobile too. No answer. Conan attempted to read a little but he felt uneasy. He finally slapped "The Sign of Four" closed and wriggled his way deeper under the duvet. Sleeping wasn't going to be easy. Then suddenly, Conan's phone began to chirp. His head shot up from the pillow immediately, snatching the phone up and pressing the answer button.

"Conan speaking."

"C-conan!" A tearful voice wailed on the other end.

"Ayumi?" He sat up straight. "What's wrong!"

"It's Ai!" she cried. "She-she's--" Ayumi's words were lost amongst her tears.

"Ayumi, calm down! What happened to Ai?"

"Sh-she's just been admitted into hospital with a massive 3rd degree on her back! They say she might not pull through!" Conan could hear frantic voices in the background.

"What happened?"

"Her house was on fire and Hakase was trapped inside!" Ayumi sobbed. "She used her bare hands to try and save him! Luckily, Hakase wasn't hurt too badly but they're still keeping him and hospital over night...but Ai...is..."

"Where are you now?!"

"At Beika General Hospital. Me and Mitsuhiko and Genta are in the waiting room. We had a hard time getting through to you, there's very little reception here and you were engaged every time we tried you on the way."

"I'll be right there." The phone went dead. Ayumi rested her hands in her lap and sniffed. The boy beside her slid an arm around her shoulder.

"Do you...think Ai...will be okay?" Ayumi sobbed into Mitsuhiko's shirt. He didn't say a word.

"She's resilient..." Genta chipped in. He opened his mouth as if he meant to say more but for once in his life, kept quiet. It was only a matter of time before Conan came rocketing down the corridor to where the Shonen Tantei Dan were sat, unsurprisingly followed by a very frazzled looking Ran. She had ambushed Conan on his way out of the house. The two sat beside the Shonen Tantei Dan breathlessly. Conan looked up from the floor to Ayumi.

"How long will she be in there?"

"Another couple of hours." The wait was excruicating but they sat there and braved it none the less.

Hours later, Any passer by might of stopped and stared for a second at the odd sight of a woman, one teenage boy resting on her shoulder, a teenager girl resting on his lap and two boys lying slightly overlapping one another on the floor all sound asleep, laughed to themselves and moved on but the scene was nowhere near as comical as it seemed. The Shonen Tantei Dan's plus Ran's slumber was ended when a doctor emerged from an office beside the operating theatre. Ran blinked and straightened herself, smiling wearily at the white coat clad man.

"Mouri-san." He spoke tonelessly. Ran held her breath. "Haibara-san pulled through, She'll make a full recovery in no time. She should be out of hospital by the end of this week although she needs to be treated very carefully." Ran gasped, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

"Conan-kun!" She shook his shoulder. "Conan-kun, wake up! Did you hear that?"

"Hmm?" Conan squinted.

"Everyone! Ai-chan is going to be fine!" The doctor smiled.

"She needs her rest now, But if you'd like to schedual a visit for tomorrow, that would be fine." Ran smiled, wiping away a small tear.

"Hmm we'll do that, Thankyou doctor."

Yet again, the Shonen Tantei Dan were thoroughly uneasy. It almost seemed as if nothing could calm their nerves now, seeing as one of their members had narrowly survived an assassination attempt, emerging with a lifelong scar. Why it had only been Ai's house disturbed Conan somewhat. Maybe tomorrow night, another house would go up in flames. He thought of Ayumi's apartment, on the 20th floor of a very large apartment complex. If it were to catch fire, escape would almost be impossible. Then Genta's house above a liquor store. Not good, It would go up immediately. Mitsuhiko's house was very close to many others, the possibility of lighting neighbors houses alight wasn't unlikely.

"Hey...Conan...?" Ayumi rested her head against his shoulder as they walked.

"Eh?"

"Do you think that maybe we should all stay at the office tonight or in a hotel? If we're altogether we'll die side by side if that person tries to kill us again."

"No, That's bad...At least one of us should still be here...Why can't let them win. Dying together would be the easy way out."

"What if the killer makes a move on Ai in the hospital?" Ayumi held a shaking hand to her mouth. Conan shook his head.

"No, I asked the police to keep watch on her just in case."

"Any one of us could be next..." Ayumi sounded tearful. "I'm scared!" She suddenly leapt forwards, throwing her arms around Conan. Ran stared and then gave Conan a small wink before continuing to walk down the streets with Mitsuhiko and Genta in tow.

"No, I won't let that happen." Conan reassured her. Suddenly, he froze. A car was approaching down the streets. A black Porsche. Moving almost silently in the night. He saw vague silhouettes of the drivers as they passed. His heart stopped completely, the colour draining from his face.

_Gin...Vodka..._

"Again?"

"Yeah, We failed." Vodka sighed into the phone.

"Are you just really stupid, Or are they really tenacious?"

"I think both..." Gin added in a very low, harsh and irritated tone. That person was being particularly loud this evening, enough for Gin to be able to hear.

"Sorry..."

"Don't apologise. Never apologise."

"So—I mean okay."

"Look, Just go in there and shoot them point blanc for all I care. Why are you bothering with explosives?"

"You said the easy way..."

"Well now I mean the REALLY easy way! Just get in there, BAM, out again! Is that so hard to comprehend?"

"Hey..."

"What?" That person sounded very agitated.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Vodka could've sworn he saw Gin wince slightly. No-body ever questioned that person. The phone went dead. That person had a habit of hanging up abruptly. Vodka placed the phone on the dashboard and sunk back into his chair. Gin smiled maliciously as he chewed the cigarette between his teeth.


	8. There will be blood

"Ayumi! Go into the witness protection program! Even if the others aren't, you wouldn't be alone! Your father and I of course will come with you! I don't want my daughter staying in a city filled with homicidal maniacs!" Ayumi stared across the dinner table at her mother, clutching her the fabric of her shorts

"Bu-but, It's a big decision! Just moving and becoming a different person!" Ayumi pleaded. "All my friends are here! And the Shonen Tantei Dan, I can't just leave! And..I have other reasons to stay..." She trailed off into silence. Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I get it." Her mother smiled wryly "There's a boy involved isn't there?" Ayumi went bright red. Her father dropped his fork.

"A BOY?!" Ayumi bit her bottom lip. "I will not have any boy violating my little princess, Who is he? I'll kick him all the way to Osaka, oh yes!"

"No-one violated me!" Ayumi screamed.

"That's not important right now!" Ayumi's mother reached across and placed a hand on her husbands shoulder. "Right now, Ayumi's safety is what matters! Not to mention our own! If our house is next...!"

"It won't be, Don't worry..." Ayumi smiled, poking at the last piece of duck on her plate.

"I don't care! I still think witness relocation is the best way to go!" Her mother insisted.

"No!" Ayumi cried. "Please! I don't want to run away! If I do that, I can't win! Definitely not!" She suddenly had a brief moment of deja-vu.

"This isn't a matter of winning! You could be killed!" Her father contributed. Ayumi hung her head with a scowl, taking a quick sip of juice.

"I'm going to my room now, Thankyou very much for the meal." Ayumi stood, smiled politely and bowed.

"Eh? Aren't you going to finish it?"

"No, I'm not that hungry." Ayumi smiled again and made her way out of the kitchen to her bedroom. Slowly, she collapsed onto her bedsheets and stared up at the ceiling. Strangely, she found herself becoming very tired.

Mitsuhiko heard a very sudden and very loud thud resounding throughout the house. His sister had just gone to answer the door, and now there was silence. That was not good. Perhaps he was being slightly paranoid, maybe she'd fallen over on her way to answer the door. But given the current circumstances, he couldn't be blamed for being a little on edge. Panic striken, Mitsuhiko zoomed down the stairs at lightning speed and was met by a heart-attack inducing sight. His worst fears had been realised. A man was stood in the door way, clad in a long black trench coat over a greyish polo neck, a hat pulled down over his eyes. Even without the hat, his eyes would've remained cloaked, courtesy of his long silver hair. He was holding a silenced pistol. And it was smoking. Over the corpse of Asami. Her eyes were still open, as she hadn't the time to comprehend her own death. A bullet right through the head. She looked as if she hadn't even had a chance to scream.

"ASAMI!" He screamed. The man raised the gun and fired. Mitsuhiko managed to dodge just barely only to roll down the stairs in the process, crash landing by his sisters corpse. Mitsuhiko let out a sob, his fingers across her cheek. "...Asami..." He looked up at the man above him, quickly taking hold of his dead sisters hand. It was stone cold. He murderously glared upwards before slowly climbing to his feet, making sure never to break eye contact.

"Wh-who are you...?" Mitsuhiko confronted, attempting to keep his intimidating glare. Easier said than done with death smiling at you.

"Why don't you ask your beloved Sherry when you meet in the afterlife?" The man grinned. Mitsuhiko had very little time to process this cryptic statement. The man pulled the trigger.

An unfamiliar smell met Ayumi's nostrils. Something unpleasant and hazy as she woke slowly. She tugged at the neckline of her shirt. Was it her or was the heating a litte high? Then she comprehended the smell. Smoke. And the note on her bedside table.

_Gone to the store, Back in 5. Love Mum xxx_

Ayumi sat upright. There was a figure stood in her doorway. It wasn't her Mum or her Dad. Behind the curvaceous woman clad in black in her doorway burned radiant orange flames, leaving shaking flickering shadows. Ayumi let out a squeak when she registered the hand gun. From what little she had gathered, maybe this woman was a member of the Organization Schnapps had spoken of so many times before his suicide. The Black Organization. Ayumi heard sirens wailing from below and screams of terror. Ayumi leapt of the bed and began to back towards the window. Her back hit the glass.

Trembling voice, she asked: "What is it that you want from us?! Why do you keep trying to kill us!?" The woman smiled and pressed a finger to her rouged lips.

"_A secret makes a woman, woman._" An American? Ayumi's hand grasped the handle and allowed the window to fall open, sending her crashing backwards onto her balcony. The woman advanced slowly. Ayumi let out a high pitched shriek, calling for aid at the top of her lungs. But where was she to find it in a burning apartment building? Soon, Ayumi was pressed against her balcony railings. So theatrical this whole scene was. Ayumi felt like she should be up on silver screen dazzling an audience. But this wasn't a film. This was reality. And if the woman fired the gun, it would kill her. Ayumi stood shakily.

"Why!?" Ayumi cried again, bent backward slightly over the railings. The woman didn't answer, she simply continued to approach, clutching the gun tight. Ayumi peered over her shoulder at the lights below. She held her breath. _I'm not going to die by their hand. _Ayumi took one last deep inhale and pushed herself over backwards, swinging right over the railings of her balcony and into freefall, plunging from the top of the 20 story building. The woman stood, let out a little chuckle of surprise and returned the gun to the holster under her arm before making her way from the blazing building.

Mitsuhiko let out a cry. The bullet had merely scathed his ear as he had thrown himself into the wall the minute the man had pulled the trigger. Conan had taught him and all the other members of the Shonen Tantei Dan about the speed of bullets, and it never failed to come in handy. Seeing an opening, Mitsuhiko lunged, swiping the smoking pistol from the man. He stood back, violently trembling hands clutching the gun. Tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"You...killed Asami!" He wept. "YOU KILLED HER!" His voice rose to a scream as he clenched his eyes shut and dug deep into the trigger. He fired. The man was caught in the arm. Mitsuhiko breathed as his eyes slowly opened. He dropped the gun. The man was crouched, clutching his injured arm, breathing heavily. Mitsuhiko knew he didn't have it in him to kill someone. So he took the opportunity and ran. He bolted past the man and to the door. And he ran.

"AYUMI!"

She could hear her parents screaming. But she wasn't falling. For long anyway. For a moment she found herself tumbling, but then something hit her shoulder. Something soft. Two strong arms had wrapped around her and hoisted her into safety before she had the chance to fall once more. She blinked, her vision correcting itself slowly. Someone had propped a mattress up against the balcony below, using it as a makeshift slide. And here she was, lying in Conan's arms on a large pile of futons. She breathed, coughing out in relief and shock.

"Conan..." He was glaring at her. Her heart dropped a little upon seeing how angry he looked.

"Ayumi, YOU IDIOT!"

"I-I'm sorry..." Ayumi stared at her hands. They weren't entirely focused. She was still recovering from the shock. She raised her head once. Conan still maintained his glare. "There was a woman..." Ayumi continued. "I didn't want to die by their hands. Nuh-uh. I'd rather do it myself." Conan sighed when he noticed tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. "I..."

"Wait. A woman?" Conan's eyes widened. "Who? What did she look like?"

"I couldn't really see her past the smoke but...She was quite tall and slim, long hair and...She was American because she said something to me..."

"What? What did she say?!" Conan's detective instincts were taking over, meaning he displayed a little less tact that usual. He gripped Ayumi's shoulders as if trying to force the information from her.

"A secret makes a woman, woman..." Conan remained still before releasing Ayumi's shoulders.

_Dammit...Vermouth..._

Mitsuhiko sat alone in the desolate cold room that was the Shonen Tantei Dan's main office. Everything seemed so hollow all of a sudden, so meaningless. He'd seen death, Oh god he'd seen death. He'd almost been desensitised to it he'd seen it so many times. But not like this, not when it was someone so close to him, his only family. His sister. And on top of that, someone had made an attempt on the life of the girl he was sure he'd love until the day he died. Although, given the current circumstances, that day might come sooner than he'd hoped. He felt empty. Everything just seemed to be falling away so fast. How was he supposed to tell his parents that their daughter had been shot point blanc while they were overseas? Why was he even here? What was the point. Oh, wait. He had nowhere else to go. Nowhere else he could cry alone. He would've been lying if the words "What's the point of carrying on now?" hadn't crossed his mind briefly but he knew that now he was into this, there was no backing out. He had been wrapped up in this world where death was common place ever since four children...No three children...had decided it was a good idea to form the Shonen Tantei Dan. Great idea that had turned out to be, just fantastic. It's amazing how quickly things change. How something as childish as a little game of detectives could turn into reality almost overnight. He buried his head in his hands. Suddenly, the room burst into light. So suddenly, Mitsuhiko cried out, leaping from his seat. It was Ayumi and Conan, both looking just as frightened as him.

"Mitsuhiko!" Ayumi stepped forwards. "What are you doin--" She extended a hand.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Mitsuhiko screamed, stumbling backwards and returning to his original place on the sofa. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

"Mitsuhiko, What's wrong with you!?" Conan ushered Ayumi behind him. "You look terrible!"

"DON'T! STAY AWAY!" The boy was curling up into a ball, defending himself as if he veiwed Conan as a threat. Conan stared at the shivering wreck.

"Mitsuhiko!" Conan reached forwards. His hands were rather harshly swatted away. Mitsuhiko was shivering, his shoulders jumping with each sob.

"...Don't..."

"You're acting completely insane..." Conan made another attempt. When Mitsuhiko lashed out once more, Conan gripped the boys wrists, pulling him from his cocoon. Mitsuhiko's pupils were almost invisible, his face tortured with fear. Then Conan did something even he hadn't expected himself to do. He pulled Mitsuhiko into an embrace. There was silence. Mitsuhiko's breathing stopped for almost a minute.

"We're all in this together." Ayumi couldn't keep herself from joining in. Carefully, she placed herself beside the two and snaked her arms around Mitsuhiko's neck, resting her head on his back. Mitsuhiko finally began to return to his senses, and collapsed into his two friends embrace.

* * *

_Sorry it took...God only knows how long. I got seriously stuck/ I almost gave up on this fic but all your kind reviews motivated me ^_^. Not to mention I don't like giving in on things halfway through. And it would just bug the hell outta me if I left this one lying around half finished. Hope this chapter hasn't been dissapointing after I made you wait so long XD. Y'know I watched this really weird 80's dystopian future film tonight called "Brazil" (Anyone heard of it?) which is where the "We're all in this together" line came from. This chapter seems a little Mitsuhiko centric, ne? He's one of my favourite characters, he's just too cute.  
_


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